The present invention relates to a keyboard for computer with a user-friendly user interface, and in particular, to a keyboard and a computer having special keys or cursor keys with improved operability.
A computer is often used by repeatedly exchanging information between the computer and the user in such a way that the computer provides information to the user by means of audio and images, the user inputs instructions and data for obtaining a desired result in response to the information, then the computer responds it by providing the internally processed result to the user. A keyboard is commonly used as means for the user to input information to the computer. Recently, demand for a keyboard that allows the user to input information quickly has grown as the processing speed of computers has increased dramatically.
The keyboard includes, character keys or data keys for inputting alphabets or Japanese syllabary characters, ten keys for inputting numeric characters, and, besides them, control keys or special keys to which special functions are assigned. The control keys include four cursor keys used to move the cursor displayed on the display screen. Ten keys are, however, not provided in notebook personal computers in order to save space. To input information from the keyboard quickly, the user should be allowed to concentrate on the display of the computer and documents. To do so, touch typing on blind typing in which the user types desired keys without looking at the keyboard is effective.
A small projection is formed on top of each of the character keys xe2x80x9cFxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cJxe2x80x9d and the ten key xe2x80x9c5xe2x80x9d to indicate the xe2x80x9chome positionxe2x80x9d (hereinafter called the home position for character keys as appropriate), thereby allowing touch typing of the character keys and ten keys. The home position is a position where user""s fingers are placed before typing. The user can identify the projection simply with tactile sensation to place the index finger of the left hand on the F key and the index finger of the right hand on the J key. Accordingly the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger of the left hand are placed on the F key, D key, S key, and A key, respectively, and the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger of the right hand are placed on the J key, K key, L key, and xe2x80x9c;xe2x80x9d key, respectively, in the home position for character keys.
Each finger is assigned to a key for keying. For example, the little finger of the left hand is assigned to the xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9dkey, xe2x80x9c2xe2x80x9d key, Q key, A key, and Z key and the index finger of the left hand is assigned to the xe2x80x9c5xe2x80x9d key, xe2x80x9c6xe2x80x9d key, R key, T key, F key, G key, V key, and B key. The user has learned the position of each key to be depressed by each finger with respect to the home position through training and can touch type without moving any one of the fingers of each hand off the home position. The touch typing of ten keys can also be performed similarly.
Each of the cursor keys, which belong to the control keys, bears an arrow on its top that pointing one of the four directions and used to move the cursor to the pointed direction. A cursor is a mark displayed on the screen for indicating the position at which a character or a graphic can be entered. In a separate standard keyboard for desktop computer, the position of the cursor key is apart from character keys and therefore the user must move all the fingers off the home position in order to access one of the cursor keys. The user therefore must take his/her eyes off the display screen or documents and look at the keyboard in order to visually locate the cursor key.
Cursor keys of a notebook personal computer typically are to the right of the character keys and can be depressed with the little finger of the right hand with the index finger of the right finger placed on the home position. However, because the little finger cannot exert a strong force and is clumsy compared with other fingers, it is uneasy to operate the cursor keys with the little finger with placing the index finger on the home position and therefore it is difficult for an untrained user to move the cursor on the display screen quickly. In addition, a user with a small right hand cannot reach all the cursor keys with the little finger with placing the index finger on the home position.
Therefore it is often the case that the user moves the right hand off the home position to operate the cursor keys with the deft index finger only or with the index finger, middle finger, and the ring finger. Because the user always moves the fingers off the home position to operate the cursor keys on a standard keyboard for desktop computer, the user adjusted to such an operation moves the hands while visually locating the cursor keys each time he/she operates the cursor keys on the notebook personal computer. The continuity of touch typing is thus lost by this cursor key operation.
A device is described in Published Unexamined Utility Model Application No. 3-9033 specification (creator of device: Yokoyama) in which a groove is provided in such a way that the little finger, the ring finger, the middle finger, and the index finger of the left hand are placed on the A key, S key, D key, and F key, respectively, and the index finger, the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger of the right hand are placed on the J key, K key, L key, and xe2x80x9c;xe2x80x9d key and the xe2x80x9c4xe2x80x9d key, xe2x80x9c5xe2x80x9d key, and xe2x80x9c6xe2x80x9d key of the ten-key, respectively, on the keyboard of a personal computer.
A keyboard is described in Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 8-123597 (inventor: Aiba) in which the cursor keys, which plays an important role in the Japanese kana-kanji conversion system, are placed in a position near the space key where they can be keyed with the thumbs with placing the fingers on the home position to improve the efficiency of typing Japanese characters.
A keyboard is described in Published Unexamined Utility Model Application No. 63-35131 specification (creator of device: Ishimochi et al.) in which the cursor keys are provided near the lower part of the character key section so that the cursor keys can be accessed with minimum movement of user""s hands during the operation of the character key section.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a user-friendly keyboard and computer. It is another object of the present invention to provide a keyboard and a computer which do not impair the continuity of touch typing. It is another object of the present invention to provide a keyboard and a computer in which a home position is defined for operating control keys. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a keyboard and a computer that can be used in a dark environment in which labels on the top of keys cannot be visually identified.
According to a first embodiment of the present invention, a home position region for control keys constituting a part of a plurality of keys is provided on a keyboard comprising a region in which the plurality of keys are disposed and a peripheral cover. Because the home position region for the control keys has a structure distinguishable from the main surface region of the peripheral cover with tactile sensation, touch typing can be maintained while operation is shifted from character keys to the control keys and returns to the home position for the character key after the operation of the control keys. The peripheral cover, which may have any other name, is a portion other than the keys, and has a boundary along the region in which the keys are disposed and a main surface region. The home position region only needs to have a structure distinguishable from the main surface region with tactile sensation and may be made tactilely distinguishable by applying surface treatment.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, cursor keys are chosen as the control keys. The cursor keys are frequently used and it is especially effective to provide a home position region for the cursor keys if they are disposed adjacent to the surrounding cover. According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, as the structure of the home position region, a wave-shaped slant may be provided in the peripheral cover correspondingly to the cursor keys to define the home position for the index finger, middle finger, and ring finger. The present invention is applicable to a separate keyboard as well as a notebook personal computer into which a keyboard is integrated.